I got the Breville Bambino after stalking this subreddit for a while and deciding it was my best option. I am not a coffee connoisseur by any means but it’s a hobby I’m very interested in learning. I would like any advice on how I can make my shots better and what I need to improve. Also is it normal for the machine to produce such little quantities?
Any help would be appreciated.
My set up: a hand grinder with a conical burr grinder, a wdt, a tamper, a funnel, a scale and a knock box.
The process I used for this shot: I weighed 18 grams of coffee beans, ground it out with the hand grinder (took about 3 mins), used the funnel to put it into the portafilter (currently using the dual wall basket), used the wdt, then I tamped it and put it into the machine.
Looking for tips to improve my process. Thank you!
by Brain_on_steroids
16 Comments
You should also be weighing and timing your output for consistency. It looks like it was a little quick maybe?
Dark, medium or light roast? Looks medium to dark but it’s taking you 17 second to get your first output, that could be you’re grinding too fine. Also you ideally want scales so you can measure your output vs input while you dial in, typically people go 2:1 18g in, 36g out but this will depend on preference.. e.g. I prefer 19g in 42g out on my dark roast.
I never really use the pre programmed buttons just keep hold for pre infusion and then let go when it starts coming through. Timing it and weighing it will help understand it a bit more. Think in this case the manual actually has some timings and suggestions on it.
Main thing is taste though 🙂
Do you use the pressurised baskets or the non-pressurised ones?
Looks like you were grinding too fine.
Also, if you have a small scale put it underneath your cup. When you press the button long (3-5sec) it will run until you press it again to stop – should be twice the amount, so 36g
Is the bambino usually that loud?😳
Welcome to the hobby 🙂 seconding the suggestions to grind a bit less fine and using a scale to measure output. Also how fresh are your beans? the crema looked a touch thin, but that can be due to the roast level too.
Yeah, a scale will definitely be helpful. Definitely don’t be afraid to experiment — I’ve had great shots that pulled really fast with a coarse grind, and wonderful low-output shots with a finer grind. Taste is always the best guide!
Bottomless
The anticipation was killing me, was expecting some kinda disaster lmao
https://preview.redd.it/vdi9eusi8sof1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e9abd1267a6810500e87c3fece2f2c89735c75d
Beans look stale. Find some 1-2 weeks out from the roast date.
Hell yeah. Scale will help understand output which will help you understand how to adjust for the flavor youre getting vs looking for. Using a scale for your creamer volume will also help to consistently make everything in your preferred proportions.
Make notes, short pencil is better than long memory.
The 1:2 25-30 recipe is your starting target, then adjust for flavor preference from there. Imho dark roasts are better with shorter ratios (1:1-1:1.5 range) medium in the middle (1:2) and light roasts approaching high ratios (1:2.5-1:3 +p). None of these are rules, just guidelines. Your taste preference sets the rules.
What beans/roast are you using? Youve probably read here that fresh/local roasts will be the best, and theyre absolutely worth the money. You can find bargains on the grocery store shelf, but those beans 99% of the time (unless you live in a big city and have a hip grocery partnered with a local roaster, which, again, is a local/fresh roaster) will be outside of a month old and will have already offgassed the CO2 that helps to create pressure and crema.
Follow up point, recommendations to bloom should be taken with a grain of salt until you have your process consistent and producing the shot you want. If you bloom light roasts benefit the most, where (imho) dark roasts shouldnt be bloomed and should be kept short on ratio and extraction time. Dark roasts means more energy already put into the bean, easier/shorter extraction. Light roasts means less energy put into the bean and higher heat/longer extraction/larger ratio to hit the flavor you want.
Thats a lot, but it seems like youre starting in a good place. Bottomless portafilter will help you identify if youre having channeling issues and then you can post your follow up video and success story with a great extraction video!
Happy to answer questions if this prompts more
Edit: im gonna double down on fresh beans after reading some comments. You can get locally roasted beans most places for around $20 for 12oz-16oz. Thats probably a week of coffee for 1 person and mid range relative to “expensive” coffee (once again, imo) but trying to make good espresso with meh beans is frustrating and not realistic. I also tried to use $5-$10 pound coffee beans and had many frustrations because espresso just doesnt work very well like that. Practice like you play… garbage in/garbage out… i cant make chicken salad out of chicken shit (the last one was a line a high school football coach used, maybe a bit aggressive for espresso 😅). You will be surprised by just how much better a decent bean is. You have gear that can make really good espresso, dont leave your putt short trying to eat a ribeye when you bought a chuck roast. It may be too many analogies, but hopefully one resonates, i feel strongly about this lol
How you pushed that button reminds me of that family Guy skit with Peter on the phone
> Looking for tips to improve my process
1. If you are not already doing so, use the 2 cup single wall basket. This requires that your grinder be suitable for brewing non-pressurized espresso.
1. Brew manually with your scale under your cup, so you can stop the pump as you approach your target yield. There will be drips after you stop the pump, so stop it before you hit your target weight, or else pull the cup and scale away from the machine at your target weight.
2. Find a dose that fits the basket well and don’t change it.
3. Find a grind size that give you a 1:2 ratio (yield weighs double the dose) in around 20 to 40 seconds.
4. From there, follow the EAF guide to dial in for best taste: https://espressoaf.com/guides/beginner.html
Keep that drip tray drained. They get funky if you let water sit in them. All sorts of microbial growth
I love the mug you’re using!
Anyways, try holding one of the shot buttons down to do a manual extraction. You might also want to invest in a small scale to see how much espresso you’re making. This way if you like a certain shot better than the other you can get closer to reproducing it.